The Alchemist, the Wizard, and the War
by Katty008
Summary: UNIQUE HPxFMA x-over post Deathly Hallows. The orders had finally come. They were sending in the alchemists, not that it would help much. After all, the enemy could ignore Equivalent Exchange. Ed might've joined them if they weren't trying to kill him.
1. To War

**Disclaimer: Don't own.**

**Yep. It's me. Bringing you a Harry Potter crossover. It's unique though, I swear. It's after Deathly Hallows. Heck, it's after the epilogue of Deathly Hallows. Plus it's not your generic Ed-teams-up-with-Trio-to-fight-Voldemort-and-Envy-at-the-same-time thing. And it's not during the Fifth book. That makes it triple-unique. The problem with most crossovers is that they could be so good but then they end up so cheesy. I swear this won't be cheesy. Ed won't blow up at thestrals then forget completely about them the next chapter, among other things. I give you, The Alchemist, The Wizard, and the War.**

* * *

Major Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist as of a couple years ago, stomped- okay, stormed- down the hallway in Central Command, for once in his uniform. The reason of the storming was in the form of the uniform arriving in a package suddenly from Mustang, with a note that said, _If you don't wear it I can't guarantee your life._

Reaching the door he was headed to, he threw it open, fully intending to wreak chibi havoc in the way only he could. He was stopped in his tracks though by the apparent disarray and mild depression prevalent in the office.

Hawkeye was pacing back and forth, eyes on the ground; Havoc looked mildly worried, Fuery and Falman more so, and for once Breda's jacket was buttoned up. Hawkeye looked up as he entered, stopping in her pacing. "Edward, he's expecting you."

Ed's words caught in his throat. "What's… what's going on?" Then, everything clicked into place. The uniform, the note, the worry… along with everything else that had happened in the past few months. "The war… they're not… they're sending the alchemists in, aren't they?"

The silence was all he needed for a confirmation. Havoc slowly nodded his head slightly. Hawkeye spoke up again. "We're all going. The Colonel's been given more men in an order to lead an attack on one of their strongholds."

Ed looked down, thinking. Then he looked back up. "I'll go tell Al and I'll be right back. I have to convince him to go to Resembool."

Hawkeye nodded. "I understand."

Ed left, shutting the door behind him and no longer storming. He should have known the order would come sooner or later. He had heard from soldiers recovering that the enemy used some form of alchemy, but with sticks and no apparent equivalent exchange. And he knew that leaving a good commander such as Mustang in the background was insofar a stupid thing for Fuhrer Bradley to do. But it still had come as a shock to him. He had always wondered what would come first: Al's body or orders to go to war. Well, now he knew.

Sighing, he opened the door to their dormitory room. Al immediately jumped up from the lower bunk upon which he had been sitting. "Nii-san! You're back! What did the Colonel want?" Then Al noticed the worn look on Ed's face. "Nii-san?"

Emotionlessly, Ed stated, "I haven't actually seen the Colonel yet, but Hawkeye's told me enough. The Fuhrer's given the orders. All State Alchemists are to be mobilized and Mustang's unit is to lead an attack on one of the enemy's strongholds. I'll be leaving."

"… So we're going to war Nii-san?"

Ed sighed. He knew Al would say that. "Not we, me. You're going to Resembool to stay with Winry and Granny Pinako."

"But, but Nii-san! You promised we would always be together! You-"

"Yes I know I did Al!" Ed shouted, losing his temper. "But you're not part of this damn military; I am! We never know when they might launch an attack! You are going to go to Resembool and you are going to protect Winry and Granny Pinako if they ever get through the defenses! Understood?"

Al resigned. "Yes Nii-san."

Ed smiled sadly. "Good. Now I can go and confront that bastard without worrying about you and the others."

Ed turned to leave, neatly closing the door behind him, but not before hearing his brother's whispered words. "Good luck, Nii-san. I know you will, but come back anyway."

Ed made his way back to Colonel Mustang's office, ignoring the others as he moved through the middle room. Once reaching Mustang's desk, he saluted then stood stiffly. Mustang looked at him, surprised. "That's not strange, Fullmetal."

"This is war, Mustang. What, are you complaining?"

Mustang smirked. "That's more like it. You're the only alchemist I've been assigned, so I'm going to brief you here and now on your alchemical duties and then you can join me when I brief squad leaders."

Mustang pulled a map out of a drawer and spread it out on his desk. "Morally, I don't agree with this, and I know you won't either. But I think you'll agree with me on the fact that it is an excellent tactical strategy and will severely weaken the enemy."

Ed raised an eyebrow. "Spit it out Mustang. What are we attacking?"

Mustang sighed, and for once Ed could see dark shadows under the man's eyes. "A school."

"Please explain why this would be a good tactic other then to slaughter innocent kids."

Mustang looked up from the map, surprised that Edward had responded so calmly. But he wasn't so surprised once he saw the raw anger in the teen's eyes. "From intel and interrogations, this is the most respected school they have. It spews out countless people every year, most of which go on to fight our forces. If it could be shut down, then their supply of soldiers would be drastically limited.

"But it is also home to many powerful enemies, and the students themselves know quite a bit of defense. That's why I have asked for more State Alchemists, but the Fuhrer seems adamant that he can't spare any."

Ed's frown deepened. "Not even a sap like Armstrong?"

Mustang had to smile. "No, not even a sap like Armstrong."

"It sounds almost as if the Fuhrer wants us dead."

Mustang later thought that he would never know whether Ed was being serious or not.

* * *

Ed and Mustang spent the train ride carrying the troops to a close enough drop-off point in a private compartment studying maps of the castle in which the school was located and the surrounding grounds, putting together a battle plan with the squad leaders. Once the train arrived at its destination, they had put together enough of a plan to not get ground to a pulp.

They then marched in strict formation until they met the enemy. The Amestrian forces took heavy losses at first until Ed constructed a low wall for them to hide behind. Slowly they moved forward after that, with help from such able snipers as Riza Hawkeye as well as Ed and Mustang's alchemy. The smell of gunpowder and burnt flesh and blood rent the air as many-colored lights flew above the head of the kneeling soldiers.

The gently sloping lawn leading up to the castle had become a bloody, gory battlefield, strewn with bodies and wounded soldiers. Slowly the sun sank below the horizon, but the two different factions kept fighting, the land lit up by the lights flying everywhere. Mustang knew that they would soon need to get inside the castle, otherwise they wouldn't be able to see at all. "Fullmetal! Travis! Breda! Quincy! Hawkeye! Havoc! Maneuver sixteen, go now!"

Suddenly a great roar came up from the Amestrian forces as they charged the castle. The enemy, thrown into disarray, didn't know what to do and was quickly pushed back. Much of the fighting still took place outside the doors, but a few Amestrians had gotten inside the castle itself.

But Mustang noticed that something was wrong. Looking around, his eyes sought out Fullmetal and his men. The men under Edward's command seemed to be fending for themselves, not really sure what to do and mimicking those under Havoc's command. The Fullmetal Alchemist himself was nowhere in sight. Mustang fought his way over to Ed's second-in-command, Falman. "Falman! Where's Fullmetal?"

Falman didn't even bother to look up, firing off shots as he replied. "I don't know sir. He told me that I was in charge now, and I haven't seen him since."

Mustang searched for Edward again. "Dammit Fullmetal," he whispered under his breath. "Don't do anything stupid."

* * *

"Look, one's broken away from the fighting. Edward Elric?" the oldest boy asked, his messy black hair falling into his bright brown eyes.

"Nope, not on the list," the older red-haired girl answered.

"Dad would flip if he knew we were doing this," the younger black-haired boy pointed out.

"But he doesn't. So come on then Al, Rosie."

"Hey, what about me!"

James Potter turned to his younger sister. "You are too young for this. We three will take care of this."

Lily Potter glared at her older brother, fury etched in every square inch. "I'm going to help you!"

Albus Severus Potter joined his brother's side. "He's right Lily. This is dangerous. You are only a first year."

"So?"

James turned to Rose Weasley. "Rosie?" he begged plaintively.

"Petrificus Totalus."

And with that, James roughly folded up the moving map. Albus and Rose followed him towards the portrait door. Opening it up, they slipped down the hall.

"You do know that Marie will have our head if she finds out, and will definitely tell Mum, Dad, Uncle Harry, and Aunt Ginny." Rose pointed out.

"Then we'll make sure she won't find out." James could almost feel Rose rolling her eyes. "Quit it, Rose. What if he's planting a bomb?"

"Hah. As if."

The trio skidded to a stop at the voice. Looking up, they saw a boy only a few years older then them. His blond hair was pulled up in a long ponytail, and he was wearing the uniform of the enemy. James looked down at the map, and saw that they were indeed looking at Edward Elric. He glared at the boy. "What are you doing here, Edward Elric?"

The boy returned the look with an equally hard glare. "So I'm guessing that paper you have is some magic of yours that gives you people's identities." He plowed on without waiting for an answer. "I'm guessing by the looks of it that you three are only thirteen or fourteen. The rest of the soldiers will get here soon and you need to find your friends and get out."

James, Albus, and Rose stood silent, slowly regarding the stranger. Then James stepped up to the plate. "Give me one reason I shouldn't smite you right now."

Edward rolled his eyes. "Oh please. I'm not stupid, and I know that third and fourth years such as yourselves wouldn't be able to take down a fully qualified State Alchemist such as myself. It was in the briefing."

"Oh really? Aguamenti!" Within seconds Edward was drenched. "Team Potter-Weasley 1, Team Elric 0."

Edward clapped and set his hands to his clothes, causing the water to fall to a puddle at his feet. Then he looked up, and saw that the taller black haired kid had a smirk on his face that reminded him way too much of Mustang. He sent back one of his own. "Sorry. Wrong alchemist." Clapping his hands again, he caged the two wizards and the witch. The red-haired girl ran up to the bars.

"What do you have against us!" Rose shouted.

Suddenly two figures ran up the hallway behind the cage. "Away from the bars Rosie!" Lily shouted. Rose jumped away from them as Lily Vanished the cage.

Hugo Weasley wasn't far behind her. "Serpensortia! Go at it, Al!"

Albus jumped in front of James and Rose. "Attack Edward Elric!" But of course all anybody else heard was strange hissing.

Ed quickly transmuted part of the floor into a sword and, after dodging once, cut off the serpent's head.

"More snakes!" Al shouted.

"SERPENSORTIA!"

Suddenly Ed was surrounded by four snakes. "MORE!" Al shouted.

But Ed had quickly cut through the snakes and was jumping towards the nearest brother. He quickly had the blade at James's throat. "Nobody move."

"Jamie!" Lily cried out for her older brother. Albus said nothing.

James smirked. "I'm not so easily cornered as that." With that said, he did a low backflip away from Ed, who followed and swung, knocking the wand out of the wizard's grip.

"Checkmate," he hissed.

James smirked again. "And Al said that martial arts is a useless hobby. I propose a duel. No magic, no alchemy. Just you, me, and our fists."

Ed smirked, waiting to play his ace. "I accept." He transmuted the sword back into the floor so that nobody else could use it and adopted a fighting stance. "Bring it."

* * *

**Reviews please!**


	2. Escape

**Disclaimer: Don't own.**

**Ow... my hands hurt. Sailing is a pain without gloves, especially in high winds. And yet I love this story so much that I spit out another chapter, aren't you guys lucky? I feel compelled to do so as this is quite possibly the most original HP/FMA crossover.**

**Just to clear things up, James is in fourth year, Albus and Rose are in third, and Lily and Hugo are in first. Ed is fourteen, making him the same age as James.**

**On with the story!**

* * *

Edward Elric and James Potter circled each other warily. James leapt forward, throwing a punch, but Edward easily threw him to the side with his left arm. James landed on all fours, then got right back up again. He feinted left then ducked down and swiped Edward's legs out from under him. As he was falling flat on his face Ed rolled into a more stable position. They went back to circling.

"Things would be so much easier if you just listened to me!" Ed snarled. "I don't want to hurt you, I just want to warn you so you can get all the students out!"

"Why should I believe you?" James snarled back. "You're the enemy, why should you care about us?" James leapt at Edward one more time, going in with all he had. This time Ed defended with his right hand, punching James in the ribs straight on and sending him flying into a wall.

"James!" Lily shrieked out, running to him.

James coughed and staggered up, helped by Lily. "What the hell was that, Elric? Superhuman strength?"

"The result of a sin." Edward pulled off his glove and held up his automail for the world to see. "I care about you because I am only fourteen, like you, yet I have seen things I wouldn't wish upon my worst enemy and am stuck in the middle of a war that I don't even know how it started or why. I care about you because I should be the only person to walk my path, ever. Do you follow?"

James nodded silently, wiping blood from his mouth.

"Good. You've probably got two broken ribs, maybe more, and I really don't want to have to kill you. From what I understand, there are four houses, right?"

Rose answered. "Yes, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. We're all from Griffondor."

"Is there a way to warn the other houses?"

Rose looked around at her sibling and cousins. "Well, we only have Gryffindor's password."

"Not true!" Lily piped up. "I know Slytherin's."

James rounded on her. "And how do you know that?"

"Vernon told me." Her face was dead set and Edward recognized a common argument.

Al slapped his forehead. James continued to verbally bite Lily. "There's a reason Dad hates his cousin, you know that right?"

"Just because Vernon is a Dursley doesn't mean he's like Uncle Dudley."

"You know what they say, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree."

"And besides," Rose added, "He hangs out with Malfoy."

"Scorpius isn't that bad either!" Lily's lower lip set into a stubborn pout.

"That's enough!" Ed interrupted. "The point is not how she knows the password, but that she does."

"Those damn Slytherins aren't worth much saving anyway," James muttered under his breath. Ed instantly clapped and put his hands to the ground. A spike grew out of the wall next to James's head, taking off a few hairs. He slowly turned his neck to look at it. "Holy shit…"

"Exactly."

Rose spoke up. "I think I remember reading somewhere that Ravenclaw's password was always a test of wisdom or something like that."

"Great, that leaves Hufflepuff which, if some of your weird magic doesn't get in the way, I can just make a second door to. Mustang wannabe, go to Gryffindor. Flaming know-it-all, go to Ravenclaw. Lily and Mustang wannabe's little brother go to Slytherin. Flaming know-it-all's younger relative come with me to Hufflepuff. I'll need someone there to smooth feathers for me. Where is a sneak entrance to get out?"

Albus looked at James. "Humpbacked witch?"

James nodded, then elaborated. "There's a secret way out via a statue of a humpbacked witch that we all know of. It comes out in the village of Hogsmeade, it'll do."

Ed nodded. "Good. Come on Flaming know-it-all's younger relative."

"I have a name you know!" Hugo protested as he jogged after Edward.

After they were out of earshot Rose rounded on James. "Was that really a good idea?"

James glared at her. "Do you see another alternative?"

"We're dealing with the enemy!"

"We're dealing with an enemy who could just as easily killed us as helped us. If he's offering his help then it's genuine and not a trap. We should take this chance to get everybody out."

Rose rolled her eyes. "Fine." She jogged off in the direction of Ravenclaw.

"If we're assuming that you're Mustang wannabe, whoever this Mustang is," Albus stated, pointing at James, "Then you'd better head off to Gryffindor. Come on Lily."

They parted ways, James going back to the tower and Al and Lily going down into the dungeons.

* * *

Edward and Hugo jogged to Hufflepuff, Hugo leading the way. "Almost… there," he panted.

Suddenly they came to a large statue of a badger. The badger's head moved and spoke to them in a deep, gravelly voice. "Password?"

Hugo started pleading with the statue. "Please, we don't know the password, I'm from Gryffindor, there's an emergency and we need to evacuate everyone!"

"And yet your companion wears the uniform of the enemy. Hence, this must be a trap."

"It's not, he's trying to help us!"

The badger turned his head away. "Nothing doing."

"This is getting nowhere." Ed clapped his hands and set them on the wall next to the badger. An arched doorway appeared.

The badger raised an eyebrow in disapproval. "Do you mind?"

Ed and Hugo ignored the badger and ran into Hufflepuff's common room.

* * *

"All is one and one is all."

"That's not even a question!" Rose shouted at the statue of the raven.

"Incorrect. All is one and one is all."

"ARGH!"

"Incorrect…"

* * *

James dashed up the stairs to his dormitory and started rapidly shaking his best friend. "Come on Frank, get up! We're under attack!"

"Five more minutes…"

James, realizing a hopeless cause, put everything he had into imitating the boy's mother. "Frank Longbottom get up this instant!"

Frank fell out of bed. "Where's the fire!"

James dragged him up. "The school's under attack, come on! We've got to wake everybody up!"

"Under attack?" one of their dorm mates, Nicholas Barrow, asked.

"You guys wake the rest of the boys, I'll get the girls."

"It'll never work." Frank pointed out.

James ran over to his trunk and pulled out his broomstick, his dad's old Firebolt. "Oh yeah?"

"Hey, how come you get all the fun?"

James zoomed out of the room. "Get everyone to wait in the common room!"

* * *

Lily and Albus ran down the dungeon hall, Lily counting pillars. "10… 11… 12… 13, here we are."

The pillar they were standing in front of looked no different from the others. "So what's the password?" Al asked.

"Greasy slimeball." The pillar moved to the side. "I think it's a reference to something." They ran inside and stopped in the common room. Lily pointed at her throat. "Do you mind?"

Al aimed his wand at her. "Sonerus."

"EVERYBODY, THIS IS AN EMERGENCY!" Lily boomed. "THE SCHOOL IS UNDER ATTACK! WE ARE HERE TO LEAD YOU THROUGH A SECRET TUNNEL OUT OF THE CASTLE AND INTO HOGSMEADE VILLAGE! PLEASE HURRY!"

"Well said." Al stated, taking the charm off of her.

"Let's just hope they listen to us," Lily said, vocalizing their fear.

* * *

"ARGH!"

"That sounded like Rose!" Hugo nearly shouted, picking up his pace. He and Edward were walking at the head of the entire Hufflepuff house; the prefects were keeping everyone moving.

The group rounded a corner to see Rose, red faced, shouting at a statue of a raven. "WOULD YOU QUIT IT WITH THE BROKEN RECORD ALREADY!"

"Incorrect. All is one and one is all."

"The circle of life." Ed stated as he walked past. Rose gaped at him as the statue moved aside, newfound respect for the alchemist shown on her face. She rushed inside to get the Ravenclaws.

Shortly after the Hufflepuffs reached the corridor with the statue of the humpbacked witch. The last of the Gryffindors were going through, while James was arguing with Lily. As they got closer Ed could hear the heated argument.

"Lily, you're only a first year, now go!"

"And who needed a first year to bail them out of their last mess?"

"Al's already gone through with the Slytherins. The others will be here any second. If this is a trap I want you as far away from it as possible."

"If this is a trap it'll be on the other side dummy."

Ed chose this moment to interrupt. "You're still on about it being a trap? He's right Lily, if I know Mustang and the battle plan, troops will be here any minute. Go."

Lily's lower lip stuck out in a pout again, but she joined the last of the Gryffindors going through. James turned to Edward. "I can't thank you enough for that." Hugo passed them at the head of the line of Hufflepuffs and gave them a thumbs up.

"I'm an older brother myself, so I know how you feel."

"Oh really?"

"My younger brother Alphonse is Albus's age."

"Funny… Al and Al."

"Yeah."

The last of the Hufflepuffs had gone through and Rose was just turning the corner with the Ravenclaws. Suddenly her group broke into a run. They sprinted pell-mell at the two boys. Ed swore under his breath. "Damn… the soldiers are almost here."

James started waving his arm in a circular motion at the hole in the floor. "Go! Go! Go! Go!" Rose got to the hole and jumped in, followed by a tide of Ravenclaws. Ed tapped James on the shoulder. "What?"

"Good luck."

James smiled bitterly. "You too. Hopefully we'll meet again under better circumstances."

"Until then." They clasped hands and shook like two men might after an intense game of chess. The last of the Ravenclaws passed through the hole. "Now go."

"What about you?"

"I'll think of something."

"Not so fast!"

There was the _rat-tat-tat_ of machine gun fire and rocks dislodged from the ceiling fell down, blocking the hole. They were trapped like deer in the headlights.

* * *

**Yes, I put Dudley's kid at Hogwarts. Ironic, isn't it? Can you imagine **_**that**_** meeting on Platform 9 ¾? Don't complain though, I'll probably kill him. Reviews **

**please!**


	3. Treason

**Disclaimer: Don't own.**

**Next chapter, woot woot. Not much to say here. Oh, it's kinda long. Read it, review it, have fun.**

**EDIT: By the way, this chapter's been edited. I cut out a bit.**

**EDIT EDIT: Line breaks are being stupid. Hence weird line breaks.**

--

James made a break for the hole, but jumped back as the rocks fell. He spun around, fear in his eyes, to see Edward staring down a man at the head of an enemy platoon. The man was grinning. "Edward Elric… what a surprise."

Edward growled menacingly. He had never liked Ian Travis, with his slicked back blond hair and cruel blue eyes. "First Lieutenant."

"What have we here? Naughty naughty Elric. Good dogs obey their masters."

Ed knew he had to create a distraction so that James could escape. "What part of this is disobeying rules? There was nothing about not stopping the loss of innocent life. Besides, I outrank you." Ed suddenly clapped and threw his hands down, raising a wall. He looked to James. "Go!" he hissed.

"Come with me!"

"I can't!"

"He's acting like he's going to kill you!"

"Just go!"

James shook his head and pointed his wand at the pile of rocks. "Wingardium Leviosa."

Suddenly Edward's wall disappeared back into the floor and machine gun fire rang out again, snapping James's wand. The partially lifted rocks fell back to the floor again. Travis was smirking. "Oops. Looks like I know a little bit of alchemy as well." His smirk was suddenly dropped, and his voice became low and deadly. "Aiding and abetting the enemy, Elric. That's treason."

Ed smirked. "You're really going to try and take me in for treason, aren't you?"

"Oh I won't just try. I'll succeed too." Travis motioned to the three heavyweights on his right. "Nab him."

Ed raised his hands in a fighting stance. "You've got to get through me first."

"You forget, Elric, that I've got twenty guns aimed right at you and your new friend. If you don't want to die, then I suggest you come quietly."

Ed glared at the man, but lowered his arms and allowed them to be handcuffed behind his back. However, he was far from amused. The three heavyweights force marched him away from the group.

The fight was going well. Mustang expected runners any minute to confirm what he already suspected: the castle was completely secured. He grinned, until something crossed his mind and he turned to Hawkeye. "Still no sign of Fullmetal?"

Hawkeye shook her head. "No. I would've expected something to blow up by now."

Mustang nodded his silent agreement. The lack of exploding things was rather… unnerving. His train of thought however was interrupted by a runner. "First Lieutenant Travis has captured an enemy combatant!"

Mustang's face hardened. "Bring me to him."

The runner, Mustang, and Hawkeye walked through the wrecked halls until they came to one with what was once beautiful windows, now mostly shattered. In the middle of the hall was an alcove with a statue of a bent-over old woman, in front of which was a pile of rubble. A boy of fourteen stood at the wrong end of several rifles. Mustang turned fiery eyes on the smug-looking Ian Travis. "What is the meaning of this?"

"He is an enemy combatant, nothing more, nothing less Colonel Mustang."

"An enemy combatant? He's fourteen!"

First Lieutenant Travis raised an eyebrow. "If I recall, the Fullmetal Alchemist is only fourteen as well, yet his collateral damage tends to be… large. Speaking of him, and I'm sorry I have to say this, but I have reason to believe that the Fullmetal Alchemist was killed… no, obliterated would be a better term… by this boy."

"WHAT?"

"He's lying, he-"

Travis cut James off. "Shut your mouth! As I was saying, he's obviously an enemy combatant by the way he was bragging to himself when we got within hearing range. What should I do with him Colonel?"

Mustang's face wore a mask behind which two different factions warred. There was the faction that said to, against instinct, believe Travis, and the faction that said to give the boy the benefit of the doubt. He made his decision, but it wasn't an easy one. "Restrain him and take him to Central."

Travis saluted. "Yes sir." His contingent moved out.

Suddenly a bunch of popping sounds were heard, and a female voice going, "Finally, they got the block off!" Brightly colored lights started flashing.

Hawkeye tucked into a roll and hid behind the statue, Mustang joining her. He swore at the sudden turn of events as Hawkeye fired off bullets at the enemy, all seeming to bounce off an invisible bubble surrounding the four harmlessly. Mustang frowned. One of them seemed really familiar. The red-haired woman started moving forward.

"Stay back Ginny!"

"It's a stalemate Harry. If you're so scared for my life why don't you do it yourself?"

The man seemed to take the woman's advice and walked up to join her. The other two also moved up. Mustang realized the threat and snapped, creating a wall of fire between them. He then shouted, "Not a step further!"

"An alchemist, is he?" Came a male voice that Mustang didn't recognize, so he assumed it was the red-headed male. "Let's get him."

"Ron, show some restraint! Aguamenti!"

Three more cries of Aguamenti were heard and Mustang's flames were quickly doused while Mustang and Hawkeye were soaked. The four witches and wizards loomed over them. Mustang immediately recognized the black-haired one. "Your son," he croaked, wondering what he had done.

The red-haired woman suddenly looked alarmed. "Al? What about Al?"

Hawkeye recognized Mustang's moral dilemma and raised her handgun. "Back off!"

The black-haired man frowned, but the woman with bushy hair pointed her wand at Hawkeye. "Expe-"

Mustang raised his own handgun, not entirely useless. "Don't even think about it," he growled.

The two non-redheads starting forcibly backing up their companions, as if the redheads didn't know what a gun was. Mustang and Hawkeye got up and backed down the hallway, only turning around right when they got to a bend. Once there, they ran for it.

Their sprint took them into the middle of Havoc's group, who were fighting some more reinforcements. "There's too many!" Havoc shouted. "We can't hold them off for long!"

"RETREAT!" Came the bellowed reply.

--

"What was that all about Hermione? Let me at them!"

"Ron! You're going to get killed!"

"So?"

Hermione groaned as she stopped Ron from chasing after the two muggles. "Honestly Ron, you lose all logical thinking skills when you're in battle. You're like a Viking berserker."

"A what?"

Meanwhile Harry was incredibly worried for his children, especially the boys after what the man had said. "Come on, let's go to Gryffindor Tower, make sure everyone's all right." He started walking, Hermione and Ron following, but he stopped when he noticed Ginny wasn't following. "Ginny?" He turned around and saw her kneeling on the floor, staring intently at something while silent tears fell down from her eyes. "Ginny, what's wrong?"

Slowly she picked up something and held it out. "Harry, it's… it's Jamie's wand. It's broken." She started openly sobbing. "He must be dead!"

Harry quickly enveloped her in a hug. "We don't know that. Maybe it was broken accidentally, and he's somewhere hiding. Maybe he's in Gryffindor Tower right now, waiting for us to rescue him. Or maybe he snuck out to Hogsmeade and now he's stuffing his face in Honeyduke's."

Ginny dried her tears. "You're right. There's no proof. We've each broken wands in bad situations before and we're still here. Okay. Let's go to Gryffindor Tower."

They stood up and looked to Ron and Hermione, both grim-faced. "Let's go." With Harry's order, they started running down the hall.

Several hallways later they ran into a group of witches and wizards, headed by none other than Kingsley Shacklebolt, the Minister of Magic. Kingsley grinned as he saw them. "Harry! How's my best Auror?"

The quartet stopped as they reached Kingsley. "Worried," Harry replied. "What's the status?"

"We're rounding up the stragglers as we speak. They fled as soon as we got the anti-Apparition spell down. Angry parents by the dozen? I would've been terrified."

"What about the kids?"

Kingsley frowned. "That's the problem. We've checked Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw, both empty. Not a soul in sight. I've sent someone down to Slytherin, and I'm expecting word on the status of Gryffindor any minute now."

Behind Harry, Ginny gave a wail. Hermione comforted her. "Casualties?" Harry inquired.

"Flitwick's dead. Most of the Guard is down. Neville Longbottom's been taken to St. Mungo's for severe burns, wonder how he managed that."

"One of the enemy was an alchemist that specialized in fire."

"Ah. As far as we can tell, enemy casualties are high. There are several bodies littered around the Whomping Willow alone-"

Suddenly a wizard apparated, interrupting them. "Gryffindor is deserted, no one's there."

"Thank you Henley." The wizard named Henley disapparated. "This is worrying. I hope we got here in time."

Ron spoke up. "Maybe someone warned them, and they're hiding in Hogsmeade."

Kingsley shook his head. "I've already been assured by Professor McGonagall that no one broke off from the fight to warn them. Unless they had an early warning somehow-"

Harry smacked his forehead, cutting off Kingsley. "Early warning… James, you're brilliant!"

Ginny looked up. "What about James?"

"He must have figured out the Marauder's Map! He warned everybody to get out!"

Ginny clearly didn't believe it. "And Slytherin? This is James we're talking about, remember?"

"Yes, but Lily's so kindhearted she wouldn't have let him forget about them, and he can't refuse her. And it makes sense because we found his wand outside the statue of the humpbacked witch!"

"And what is this 'Marauder's Map'?"

Harry looked back at the Minister sheepishly. "It's a map of Hogwarts my father made; it shows all the secret passages out. The one I always used begins at the statue of the humpbacked witch and ends in Honeyduke's cellar. James snuck it out of my desk a few years ago, though I didn't know he'd figured out how to use it. We found James's wand, broken, in front of the statue. He must have led an evacuation to Hogsmeade."

"Well then I want you four to go to Hogsmeade, see if your guess is correct. Let's hope it is."

Harry nodded. "Yes sir."

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**Review please!**


	4. Aftermath

**Disclaimer: Don't own.**

**This chapter is somewhat short, but it seemed like a good place to end it. Right now I am incredibly happy because I got in the 95% percentile on the SSAT, which is incredibly good. It means that I can get into virtually any private school I want. And now I've got to go, because it is a beautiful day and I'm going sailing.**

**EDIT: I've picked this story back up again! Maybe. It might crash and burn again. I deleted the former next chapter because I hated it, as well as two sections from this one because it didn't flow. That's why it's so short.**

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There were four _pops_ as Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny apparated on the outskirts of Hogsmeade. The four of them had their wands out, back to back. They relaxed once they saw they were alone, and walked into Hogsmeade. As if on unspoken agreement, they gravitated towards the Three Broomsticks. When they drew near, Madame Rosmerta ran out.

"Thank goodness! What's the status? Has the castle been taken? How's the battle progressing?"

Harry spoke with clipped military precision. "We fended them off with heavy casualties. Are the children in Hogsmeade?"

"Yes. Most of them are in the Three Broomsticks, but there's only so much room. Some are at the Hog's Head. Come in, come in, but Merlin help me if the Ministry decides to prosecute me for going over the body count limit."

The five of them made their way into the Three Broomsticks, where they were greeted by the anxious faces of many Hogwarts students squished around several fewer tables. "Mum!"

"Lily!" Ginny shouted out as Lily broke away from a table, waded through the masses, and ran to her, hugging her.

"I was so scared!" Lily cried into Ginny's shoulder.

"It's okay," Ginny reassured her. She looked up to see Albus, Rose, and Hugo making their way over too. Her eyes narrowed. "Where's James?" she questioned, a slight waver in her voice.

Al frowned. "He's not with you?"

Harry raised a brow. "Why would he be with us?"

"When he didn't come through the tunnel in the cellars we thought maybe he had run into you and was helping you fight." Rose supplied.

"Were you the last one who saw him?" Ron questioned. Rose nodded. Ron and Harry shared a look, then Ron grabbed Rose by the wrist and dragged her outside, Harry following. Ron pointed at a bench. "Sit." Rose obeyed.

"Okay," Harry stated, "I need you to recount exactly what happened the last time you saw him."

Rose gulped. "Well, I was running down the hall to the tunnel under the one-eyed witch with the Ravenclaws. I was running because the enemy soldiers weren't far behind. We rounded the corner and I saw James talking with the… the person who helped us. He urged us through as fast as we could. Then I was in the tunnel, and I didn't see him again."

"Harry, this is bad."

"You think I don't know that? This is my kid."

"Oh right. Sorry mate."

Rose looked from one to the other. "James is missing?"

"Not only that," Harry answered her, "But we found his broken wand fragments in front of the statue of the one-eyed witch. He's…" Harry was finding this very hard to say, as if saying it would make it real. "He's probably dead."

Rose got up and hugged him, crying. "I'm sorry! It's all my fault, I should have stayed behind, I should have-"

Harry bent to her level. "Rose, stop it. It's nobody's fault that James is dead. The only thing we can do about it is keep fighting and win this stupid war, okay?"

Ron nodded. "He's right Rosie. What's happened has happened, and no one can change that. The only thing we can change is what happens in the future, and that is to win this war."

Rose gulped down her tears, nodding. Then she backed off as Albus and Lily ran out of the Three Broomsticks towards Harry, Ginny following slower. Lily pummeled straight into him, while Al leveled off and gave Harry a scared glare. "Is it true? Is James really…" He trailed off, not wanting to put it into words.

Harry nodded. "Dead? Yes."

The family, now minus one, joined in their grief.

* * *

The Potter breakfast table was a gloomy one. Lily picked at her eggs and Al just stared at them, though Harry and Ginny were attempting a semblance of normality. There was no talk. Then two owls flew in the open window, one carrying the Daily Prophet and the other holding a letter. Both packages were dropped in front of Harry. He opened the letter and scanned it, then read it out loud. "Read about James in the paper. My condolences. Signed, Dudley."

Albus immediately snatched the Prophet and flung it open, scanning the front. "Attack on Hogwarts Repelled by Angry Parents… it goes on about how this kind of spirit is how we'll win the war, but there's no mention of James." He flipped a few pages. "Here we go: Hero James Potter Missing Presumed Dead."

"Read it out loud," Lily urged.

"Last night's attack on Hogwarts was high in casualties of those assigned to defend the castle, but student casualties are non-existent save for one, that of James Sirius Potter, son of Harry Potter the famed Auror. James Potter's wand was found, broken, in a hallway in Hogwarts, though no body had been recovered at time of publication.

"According to sources, James Potter was one of the leaders of an evacuation attempt by the students. The other leader was an enemy soldier, name unknown, about the same age as Potter. Sources conflict, but the general gist is that this unknown soldier contacted Potter and collaborated with him on the evacuation. Due to their heroic efforts, no students were killed in the attack. When the time comes, historians will remember James Potter and the enemy soldier as the heroes of the second Battle of Hogwarts."

Harry raised his brow. "Enemy soldier? You wouldn't happen to know the name of this enemy soldier, would you?"

"Edward Elric," Lily said in a small voice.

"And why," Harry growled, "Didn't you tell us about this enemy soldier?"

"Well, we thought if we told you then it would get in the Daily Prophet, and then the enemy might intercept it and kill Edward Elric for treason!"

"It appears to have gotten in the Daily Prophet anyway. Did it ever occur to you that it could be a trap!" Harry bellowed. "Did it ever occur to you that this Edward Elric might have been under enemy orders to capture James!"

Albus stood up, shouting at his father. "Of course! Jamie thought it was a trap more than anyone else, but Edward convinced all of us that he was there to help us! Edward believed that life itself is sacred and that no one deserves to die, ever! That's why he helped us!"

There were several intense seconds of silence as father and son glared at each other across the table. Finally Harry snatched the paper from Albus's spot and started reading it. Al went back to his eggs, but continued to glare at his father.

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**Review please!**


	5. Pieces

**Disclaimer: I no own Fullmetal Alchemist or Harry Potter.**

**A/N: I think I actually posted a fifth chapter before. I'm pretty sure I posted a fifth chapter before. It was so long ago I can't remember. But anyway, I got an idea to pick this story back up and deleted the chapter because I didn't like it, but then got stuck again. And I'm only now sticking another chapter up. Woot. It'll probably crash and burn again though. The last chapter's also had some stuff cut out and shoved into this chapter because otherwise it jumped around WAY too much.**

**Geography: So obviously Amestris can't actually be attacking Britain, because that'd just be stupid. Imagine a chessboard, and each square is a country. From left to right you've got Amestris, the Great Desert, and Xing. The square below the Great Desert is the unnamed Land of Witches and Wizards. Does that make sense?**

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It was raining. Not a true rain, a rain that was the heavens opening up and expressing her sorrow for all to see, but a drizzle, the tears of a sad sky that needed to be strong for those below it yet could not quite hold all of it in.

Roy Mustang knew exactly how the sky felt.

As soon as they had stopped running, retreated until they were chased no more, he demanded to know the location of Edward Elric. A nameless soldier delivered a cup of steaming coffee into his hands, and was given the silent treatment. The soldier edged away, not truly leaving until Mustang had taken a long swig, wincing as he burned his throat. He waited five minutes before doing anything. After five minutes were gone and feeling more like five hours, he went off in search of someone, _anyone_.

He found Riza, Jean, and Vato in the Infirmary tent. Falman merely had a small head wound, but Havoc had been hit by a particularly nasty… whatever they were. The only name Mustang could possibly attach to the beams of light was spell, but as magic didn't exist, at least in his book, he refused to use that word. At any rate, Havoc's leg was covered in gashes. The medics expected him to make a full recovery, but in the meantime he would be sent back to Central. Mustang was secretly glad. One less friend to worry about for the time being.

The three of them looked up as Mustang approached, looking like hell. "Has anyone seen Ed?" he managed to croak out, before Riza stood up and hugged him, letting him cry into her uniform. They were soft, quiet sobs; just like the sky. When he was done he dried his eyes and pulled the command façade back on. "Where's Breda and Fuery?" he asked, almost hesitantly.

"At the radio," Riza replied, "reporting on the battle."

Mustang nodded, slowly. "Edward's dead," he finally said, slowly, hesitantly. They all watched each other for several more minutes, before Mustang left the tent for the cleansing rain.

* * *

Edward Elric knew that it was virtually impossible to turn 'completely, irrevocably, and royally pissed off with flames shooting out of eyes and deathly aura that kills people' into an understatement. He also knew that he was pretty dang close to doing so. The impossible had never really stopped him before. The only thing that was stopping him from blowing everything to high heaven and hightailing it out of there was the military's tendency to manipulate people into liking what they did. Executing the Fullmetal Alchemist for treason would be counterproductive to that. And besides, Mustang would never allow it, and the military needed to keep Mustang happy. He was one of their best commanders and they were in the middle of a war. They needed him.

Ah. The lovely underworld of manipulation, false satisfaction, and the blame game. If Edward were of another nationality he'd laugh. He wasn't just then because the burly guard outside his cell door might think he's just a little bit crazy.

Of course, now all he had to do was wait. Wait for someone to grow brains, berate Travis, then come and free him. Ed hoped it was Mustang. Actually, scratch that. Mustang would find something about it to tease him with. But then again, Mustang could give a dressing-down like no other. Ed changed his mind. He didn't want Mustang to come free him, but he did want Mustang to give Travis the dressing-down. Damn he wished he could see that. But he would have to satisfy himself with his imagination at the moment and later, eyewitnesses.

* * *

James's funeral was a small affair as there was no body and they couldn't spare many from the fight. Only Harry's family, Ron's family, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Fleur and one of her daughters, Marie, Professor McGonagall, and George's family could make it. They put the empty casket next to Harry's parents in Godric's Hollow. The reception was a small affair, after which those who had to apparated back to the front lines. As everyone dispersed Professor McGonagall approached Ginny. "Mrs. Potter, as much as this is a hard time for all of us, I need to ask you a favor."

"Yes, Professor?"

"With the death of Professor Flitwick, I find myself in need of a Charms professor. If nothing else, it will give you a chance to be closer to Albus and Lily."

"I'll think on it Professor."

"Thank you dear," McGonagall said, putting a reassuring hand on the other woman's shoulder.

* * *

"You're joking, right?"

First Lieutenant Ian Travis leveled Edward Elric with a smirk that was as cold as ice, not like Colonel Bastard's smirks at all. "Joking? That order doesn't look official enough for you?"

"For one thing it's not signed by Colonel Mustang, both my direct superior and yours."

"However it is signed by several generals, all of whom outrank Roy Mustang."

"But-"

"But but but. You'll be shot at dawn, end of story." Travis left before Ed could spit out another word.

Ed sank to the bottom of the wall. Well this stank. He could easily get out of here, save for Big Burly Guard standing at the door. He could also take him down, but that would raise a fuss large enough to bring even more soldiers, more than he could take down. And he hardly wanted to advertise his escape. The further to the outskirts of Central he could get before discovered, the better.

Of course, the question of where he would go raised its ugly head. Rockbell Automail would be one of the first places they'd check. He could go join the enemy, but he wasn't actually a traitor he just wanted to protect innocent life. Tensions with most of Amestris's neighbors were bad, so going to any of them would probably be considered treason as well. Except…

Ed did have a personal connection with a prince of Xing. A connection that could definitely be used in his favor. Yes, that was definitely his best option. The trip across the desert would be hell, but he would still be out of here. Of course, first he had to escape.

And that wasn't looking all too hard. The guard was shifting uncomfortably. Just a few more minutes at most. The guard tried a few cross-legged positions that looked natural, then groaned, giving up. He fixed Ed with a glare. "I'll be leaving for a few minutes. You'd better not try to escape."

Ed gave a sickly sweet smile. "Why would I ever want to do that? I love getting shot! Especially at dawn!"

The guard rolled his eyes, catching the sarcasm, but left anyway. Ed stuck his tongue out at the door as soon as it shut, then clapped his hands and created a tunnel out of there. Time to bust this joint.

* * *

Faceless military men with stony looks and airs of 'we have to do this even though we don't want to' are never good.

Rightfully enough it was raining, a good loud thunderstorm. They were eating dinner, well Granny Pinako and Winry were eating dinner. Al was sitting in a corner, flipping through books, doing his best to continue research on the Philosopher's Stone while stuck in Resembool. Then, to accompany the rolling thunder after a clap of lightening, a quick, deadly knock sounded from the door. Al set his book on the ground, wondering who it could possibly be in such horrible weather.

The two faceless men delivered the news, the letter, and the condolences with military precision, leaving after they were done. They spoke so quietly that Granny Pinako and Winry didn't hear what they said over the torrential rain. After they left, Winry walked up to Al, wondering why he was just standing there with the door open. Al could find no words with which to answer.

As Winry stood confused behind him, Al wanted desperately to join the weather in its angry sorrow.

* * *

It was in the paper the next day, written in a way to win support for the war that was fast becoming unpopular. As hoped, people rallied around the death of the Fullmetal Alchemist, demanding blood for the loss of their hero. Enlistment numbers jumped. Irony at its best.

One day shortly afterward Winry and Pinako woke up to find a note on the table stating that Al had gone after the Philosopher's Stone again.

* * *

"Surprising to see you here, friend. Shouldn't you be off fighting a war?"

"I've been betrayed. Someone wants me dead and had me charged for treason."

"Really? I never would have guessed. You escaped obviously, but what brings you to Xing?"

"I would like to strike a deal with you."

"Elaborate."

"Through research I have determined an inherent difference between Amestrian alchemy and Xingese alchemy, a difference that may help me to attain my goal. However, back home I am now a traitor and here I am an illegal immigrant, which makes things difficult.

"Currently the war is at a sort of stalemate, though the enemy is advancing slowly. If left to their own devices Amestris would eventually lose, though at great cost to both sides. Something someone might benefit from."

"You claim you are not a traitor, yet this is taking a decidedly traitorous turn."

"With Amestris in ruins, Drachma, Creata, and Areugo may see an opportunity to take back their old territory, as well as the rest of Amestris. And then suddenly, they find themselves with more land than they ever had before. They may become greedy for more. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. They could fight amongst themselves for all eternity, or they could sweep down below the Great Desert into the land of Amestris's current enemy. And suddenly your Great Desert isn't such a good defense anymore."

"Are you suggesting something?"

"Xing attacks Amestris's enemy, except from the other side of the map. With my inside knowledge, I can accurately guess what Amestris's generals will do, and so Xing's armies could easily compliment them. Once Amestris and Xing win the war, the enemy's territory is divided up at least partially, and the Great Desert is still a good defense."

"What do you want in return?"

"If the war is won in this fashion, I may be able to prove my innocence. For the meantime at least, I will be able to research Xing's alchemy."

"You forget something. I am still only a prince. I have no control over the battles which Xing fights."

"I am sure your father would be easily persuaded with the argument I just gave you."

* * *

He no longer screamed. He would no longer give the scientists the pleasure he knew they derived from it. Instead he grit his teeth, bit the inside of his cheeks until they bled. He felt sick. His insides burned like they were on fire. He had to get out of there, but he couldn't. He was trapped motionless in the circle. The glowing light stopped, but the pain continued on.

"Any luck?"

"No. We still can't get the pigments to permanently change any color, let alone black."

"Maybe the mistake was in making the chimera in the first place. Maybe we should have stayed with human."

"That is a possibility. We should look into it."

"What should we do with it until then?"

"Just get it out of my sight."

Two of the scientists approached him, grabbed him, and hauled him roughly out of the circle. The rough concrete floor scraped away his skin but he was too weak to stand up and walk. At least his long matted hair protected his head.

The creak of a door which he recognized dimly brought him back to what few senses he had left. He was thrown to the cell floor and lay there, too weak to get up, too weak to even move. He sensed movement; probably the woman in the cell to his left, asking if he was okay. He was too weak to answer her. He was just too weak.

He needed to get out of there before he died.

He knew the general idea. He knew how it was supposed to work. He had never actually done it before though. It also involved standing up, something he definitely couldn't do. But he had to. He had to, before he died.

Summoning the last of his strength, he dragged himself to the back wall and sat, leaning against it. He used the wall to help himself up. He could feel his feet about to collapse underneath him. To do it, he would need to go away from the wall. If he did, he would collapse. If he didn't, he would collapse soon anyway.

He gave the wall an almighty shove, falling to the floor in a twirl. He was gone with a _pop_ before he even hit the ground.

* * *

The weather in Resembool belied the underlying tension at Rockbell Automail. They were still grieving, yes, and Al had disappeared ages ago without a single letter, yes, but more poignant was the feeling that something was about to happen. That spark of electricity in the air, and the tension, all going to culminate in one thing… something.

Pinako stepped out the front door. It was getting colder as the year wore on, and they were out of firewood inside. But she stopped dead when she saw the lump in front of her.

It was a boy of about 14, maybe 15. He looked as if he hadn't cleaned up properly in a long time. His black hair was long and matted, and he was covered in dirt and scrapes. His clothes were rags, and a second glance revealed he had no legs. Pinako turned back and called for Winry before she knelt at the boy's side. His eyelids flickered, revealing panicked brown eyes. His mouth moved, trying to say something.

"It's okay, you're safe," Pinako muttered gently.

"Help," the boy whispered, before finally falling unconscious.

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